McEachern High School Powder Springs, GA Click to visit website

November 2009

Mzee Jones
by Josh Vining • Photography submitted by McEachern High School

Every day we experience people who inspire us and help us improve. Some are teachers and some are our fellow students. Senior Mzee Jones has frequently been one to encourage and motivate just about anyone who meets him. Whether it is under the big Indian and Friday night lights, or in the Senior Circle on campus, he is constantly leading by example while building self-motivation and inspiration.

“He is nearly 300 pounds, and not even six feet tall. He is constantly working harder than everyone else on the football field,” junior Troy King said. Jones, the starting nose guard for the Indians, is relentlessly pushing his endurance and taking fellow players with him. “He constantly helps me on technique and on tackling. A lot of my improvement has come from him,” King said.

In the classroom, he is a dedicated student and holds a 3.0 GPA. “It is hard keeping my grades up considering I am at football everyday, but I make sure that I make time,” Jones said. He has been playing football for five years and manages to maintain the hard-earned academic standing that he sees as tremendously important.

His focus in the classroom and on the line of scrimmage has paid off because his fellow players and coaches have elected him to the incredibly powerful position of co-captain for this season. “I did not expect to become a captain. I work hard on the football field and do my best in class, but it really surprised me,” Jones said.

His skill as a player has not only inspired awe by his fellow players, but also has the attention of the coaches. “Overall, Mzee is a big, tough guy with great balance. He comes to every practice with tremendous enthusiasm ready to hit,” head coach Kyle Hockman said.

When Jones came to high school, he struggled with a difficult decision between two things he loves. He said that he had to pick between band and football, and since both take place on Friday nights, it was a hard choice. Jones plans to make the best of this year, his senior year, so his choice to follow football has not kept him from his love of music. “I love playing tuba, but in the end I picked football. I knew that no matter which one I picked I had to give my all,” he said.

Through the stress of school and football, Jones keeps his head up. This is the reason he has been picked as this year’s first Most Inspirational Player. No matter what he does, he never quits and he never gives less than his best. “When he leaves, no one will be able to fill his shoes on this campus,” King said.  

“Mzee gives his all, even when helping others. He is a huge leader, coach, teacher, and most importantly, a player on this team,” Hockman said.
Jones keeps his eye on the future and sees only the greatest results.  “I believe that the Indians are going all the way,” he said.

McEachern Football
by Josh Vining

Football is a sport of grueling intensity and strategy, and a game of victory. For the McEachern Indians, it’s also about family.

Kyle Hockman’s first season as head coach at MHS was filled with new plays and new assistants, and it seemed as if they were starting from scratch. Among the changes came more opportunities for success on the field sparked by the talents of Ken Hockman and Jon Osnowitz.

“This coaching staff has more experience in it than any other high school in the state, Hockman said. “Overall, there are about 200 years of experience.” One of the coaches Hockman is referring to is his father, Ken Hockman. He is entering into his 44th year of coaching, and each year he gives just a little more of himself to the sport.

Ken Hockman is the offensive line coach and shows no signs of slowing down. He is a part of the Mid-American Conference Champions; however, one of his greatest achievements was being inducted into the Ohio Coaches Hall of Fame in 2001. To gain entry into the hall of fame, a coach must have dedicated himself to the sport and pursued excellence in all aspects of the sport.

“The only way to victory is together; if you can get 100 or more guys working as a team, then there is nothing better,” the younger Hockman said.

The elder Hockman starts practice the same way for the offensive line every day. After stretches, he shares the goals of the day and offers advice on where and how each player can improve. He often assumes the same position stance with the players and gives an example on how a block should be carried out. His major point in each talk is that the line must work as a single unit.

He was not the only coach who had a history with the sport.  Each assistant coach brings his own gift to the team, and there is one right across the line of scrimmage. Jon Osnowitz coaches the defensive line. Osnowitz has coached for 23 years and made the move after two seasons with head coach Hockman at Campbell High School.  

Osnowitz previously served at Ohio State as an assistant coach, but one of his greatest coaching experiences is from outside America. Osnowitz coached for NFL Europe, an American Football League operating in Europe from 1991 to 2007. “NFL Europe is similar to coaching high school students. They make the same mistakes, and they have the same sense of humor. The only difference is that in Europe, it is football all day, everyday,” Osnowitz said.

“We are very fortunate to have all of these talented coaches and it helps greatly on the offensive and defensive line because they are a key part of every play,” Hockman said. “Each part of the team has to be a family in order to win.”